Disclaimer: Dianetics and Scientology are trademarks of the Religious Technology Center (RTC.) These pages and their author are not connected with the Church of Scientology or RTC, or any other organization residing under their corporate umbrella.

Auditing Process R2-45: Did Hubbard order murders?

«R2-45 - an enormously effective process for exteriorization,
but its use is frowned upon by this society at this time.»
— L. Ron Hubbard,
The Creation of Human Ability

«Exteriorization: The state of the
thetan,
the individual himself, being outside his body. [...] the
state achieved in which the thetan can be outside his body
with certainty» — L. Ron Hubbard, The Phoenix Lectures,
1968

«In plain language, it means that someone can be released
from their body by shooting them with a Colt '45, which
Ron proceeded to demonstrate by firing a revolver into the
floor of the podium.» —
Steward Lamont,
Religion, Inc., 1986

(14) Baron Baretz (declared a S.P.),
who left scientology and was critical (told to me by Al
Kaplan (Kapula) a franchise holder, himself in the U.S.
and had been sent by
H.C.O to pressure
me when I made it public I was leaving scientology). He
told us of the story of Baron Baretz - he said that the
guardian's office decided
to hire a "button man" to silence him and the scientology
case officer contacted a Mafia hit man to do the job, but
it backfired disastrously for scientology as Baron Baretz
had just recently married into a mafia family. He said he
did not think they would be likely to hire a "outsider"
again. This was in reference to asking
if they were likely to hire outsiders to run R2-45 end of
cycle on me. (then I later read that Baron Baretz
had been arrested - I wondered if the scientologists had
engineered it.)

However, in 1952 the phoenix had yet to arise from the ashes
of the HDRF in Wichita. Hubbard took himself off literally
to the town of Phoenix, Arizona, and opened a centre there
in March 1952. He travelled in September of that year to
England to lecture in London and returned again in January
to find interest in his theories increasing. In between
these visits he delivered the famous Philadelphia Doctorate
Lectures (1-19 December 1952). These are still for sale
on cassette by the Church of Scientology at over $2000 for
the set and include Hubbard's notorious reference to the
R2-45 process for exteriorisation. In plain language, it
means that someone can be released from their body by shooting
them with a Colt '45, which Ron proceeded to demonstrate
by firing a revolver into the floor of the podium.

... And attorneys have uncovered evidence to suggest that
between 1975 and 1977, during the FBI's investigation of
the cult, meetings of Scientology executives
were held in which there were discussions relative to "auditing"
high-level FBI members with auditing process R2-45.
...

Despite the general exposure of many Scientology
practice policies and attacks in the media over the past
several years, resulting primarily from the F.B.I.'s seizure
of documents from Scientology headquarters, there exists
in Hubbard's twisted mind and writings a little known policy
called "R2-45" [garbled] in the book, "The Creation of Human
Ability - A Handbook of Scientology" written by Hubbard
and distributed by the Church of Scientology of California,
the following quote appears:

"R2-45 - an enormously effective process for exteriorization,
but its use is frowned upon by this society at this
time."

"Exteriorization", in Scientology policy is death. The
policy refers to shooting a person in the head. In a short
internal Scientology memorandum called "Racket Exposed",
Hubbard attacks a number of individuals, subjects them to
the "Fair Game" doctrine, and states as follows:

"Any Sea Organization member contacting any of them
is to use auditing process R2-45"

It is unknown to the authors of this Report whether the
process was used on those individuals.

During a meeting of Scientologists in Phoenix, Arizona,
in 1954, Hubbard demonstrated the R2-45 auditing process
by firing a shot into the floor during the middle of the
meeting. There is some evidence to suggest that between
1975 and 1977, during the F.B.I. investigation of Scientology,
meetings of Scientology executives were held in which there
were discussion relative to auditing high level F.B.I. members
with auditing process R2-45.

And your brother-in-law,
you mentioned that he got — the R2-45 process, and
that your brother-in-law was found shot to death?

MS. VAN SCHAICK:

He was found dead
in his room with a .45, with a gunshot — with a gunshot
wound to his head.

MR. LeCHER:

Would you like to —

MS. VAN SCHAICK:

The result of David's death has never
really been — David was doing some different things for
the operation of the Guardian's Office in Las Vegas. And
at the time that the police found him, he was found with
a .45 and a suicide note. He had written a letter to my
parents; he was married to my sister. And the last letter
he had written was how wonderful Scientology was, and he
was doing a little mission and — anyway, the result of David's
death put my sister under psychiatric care and things have
been basically the same since then.

[...] he was a former member of the Church of Scientology,
having joined it as a result of [...] membership. He told
[...] he had given the church [...] and had attended several
meetings, and decided to get out. Upon deciding to get out,
he was told [...] that it was not advisable to leave and
started getting phone calls and visits from people in the
church. He told [...] that he received
a visit from someone in the church [...] and that this person
had advised him not to get out because of "Rule 45."
[...] believed that the "45" has to do with a .45 caliber
automatic pistol. [...] has no direct knowledge of threats
being made against [...] however, he advises [...] is afraid
of the Church of Scientology and presently lives in a home
with an unlisted telephone number.

7. I have copies in my possession in which ex-Scientologists
were declared "suppressive persons" and made subject
to the "fair game law" and a copy of Auditor #37
placing 4 persons under auditing process R2-45.
In the context of such Ethics Orders auditing process
R2-45 cannot be considered humorous or a joke, but
a serious order.

The document attached hereto
and marked Appendix "D", is a true copy of an original
copy of the Auditor. The reference to Auditing Process
R2-45, found in paragraph 7, under heading "Racket
Exposed", was known by me as a staff member of the
Church of Scientology to mean to kill someone with
a Colt 45 automatic Pistol.

"If anyone is getting industrious trying to enturbulate
(sic) or stop Scientology or its activities, I can make
Captain Bligh look like a Sunday-school teacher.
There is probably no limit on what I would do to safeguard
Man's only road to freedom against persons who ... seek
to stop Scientology or hurt Scientologists." — L. Ron
Hubbard, Aug. 15, 1967

[...]

Equally misunderstood, the church contends, is a controversial
Hubbard dictum label "R2-45," which the church's enigmatic
founder never has chosen to elaborate. The dictum
comes from Hubbard's book "The Creation of Human Ability"
and reads: "R2-45: An enormously effective process for exteriorization
but its use is frowned upon by this society at this time."

Exteriorization, in Scientology terminology, is the ability
of the mind, or "thetan" to physically leave the body.

A number of former Scientologists who are now critics
of the church assert that R2-45 is meant to authorize killing
its antagonists with a .45-calibre pistol.

Church spokesman Jeffrey Dubron, of the principal American
Church of Scientology in Los Angeles, says "it was only
a joke."

There is no evidence that R2-45 has ever been carried
out, nor is there any indication Scientologists have ever,
as a matter of policy, physically harmed anyone.

There is, however, abundant evidence that the church
has sought — and to a significant extent succeeded — to
suppress criticism of Scientology, in part by simply promulgating
policies such as fair game and R2-45 and also by the church's
quickness to file civil and even criminal charges against
its critics.

[...] Hubbard once spoke darkly of handling enemies via
"Auditing Process R2-45," meaning a .45 bullet through the
head, but this was just a joke, say his followers, and there
are no accusations of any such terminal excommunications.
[...]

[...] John McLean,
a former Scientologist, said he saw the order while a member
and believed that is what it meant. His mother
Nan, also a former
Scientologist, said she was told R2-45 "was taking a Colt
.45 and putting it to a guy's head and pulling the trigger
and blowing his brains out". [...]

Perhaps the most macabre product of Hubbard's imagination
is "auditing process R2-45," ostensibly a method of Scientology
therapy. In readily available church literature, there is
a single cryptic reference to it. "R2-45: an enormously
effective process for exteriorization, but its use is frowned
upon by this society at this time."

What is R2-45? It's
long been rumored among ex-Scientologists to mean shooting
the "patient" in the brain with a .45-calibre pistol. On
a Vancouver radio show this past March, a cornered Scientology
public relations man [see side note] offered
this explanation: "R2-45 is not an auditing process. It
is simply a name given in jest by Mr. Hubbard in his writings.
If a person is killed he'll leave the body ... R2-45 is
someone being killed and leaving the body."

Chapter 6: Techniques, drills, and processes[...]
One exteriorization process which is only whispered about,
but which everybody seems to know about, is called R2-.45,
and is one of the 75 Route 2 processes also discussed in
The Creation of Human Ability. No description accompanies
its mention in the book. Only a small note:
AN ENORMOUSLY EFFECTIVE PROCESS FOR EXTERIORIZATION
BUT ITS USE IS FROWNED UPON BY THIS SOCIETY AT THIS TIME.
What the process stands for, I was told, is R2-.45, the
.45 being a .45 pistol. Hubbard is said to have marched
out onto center stage at one of the Scientology congresses
in Washington, D.C., in the late fifties, pulled out a .45
loaded with blanks, fired it into the audience, and announced
to the stunned assemblage, "I just thought you'd like to
see what R2-.45 looks like!" What no one is willing to say
out loud is that this may be one of the advanced processes
being taught somewhere at the present time. [...]

Chapter 7: "Ethics"[...] I told Horner that being
named "fair game," or relegated to a situation of "Enemy,"
sounded ominous. Had Scientology actually ever done anything
to him? He hesitated, and then said, "I know that out in
California, Chuck Berner's place – " Berner is a former
Scientologist with his own movement " – they were shooting
it up with guns. And about a week and
a half ago I had somebody trying to kick in my back door
with a .45."

"That's pretty wild," I said to him. "Assuming it might
even be some infuriated, misguided Scientologist, don't
the police take rather a dim view of somebody going around
popping off a .45?"

Horner's only answer was a small chuckle, and I wasn't
sure whether he really believed some Scientologist was after
him, or maybe enjoyed the possibility that he, or Chuck
Berner in California, represented such a clear threat to
Hubbard that it could happen. [...]

[...] Worse than leaving the church is "plotting to misuse"
the Hubbard manuals employed in upper-level processing.
"Any Sea Org member" who becomes aware
of such alleged plotters, he proclaimed, "is to use Auditing
Process R2-45." In a Scientology handbook he has
described this as "an enormously effective process for exteriorization
but its use is frowned upon by this society at this time."
Exteriorization is defined as the separating of the spirit
from the body. So what's this all about? Jane Kember explained:
"Process R2-45 was coined as a joke—is not authorized, and
I am afraid occasionally ‘misfires' as a joke when taken
literally." [...]

[...] Most recently, Hubbard wrote this
about a group of people who defended against the ethics
department.

They are declared enemies of mankind, the
planet, and all life. They are fair game. No amnesty may
ever cover them. The criminal prosecution bureau is to find
any and all crimes in their past and have them brought to
court and a prison. Any sea organisation member contacting
any of them is to use auditing process R2-45.

Hubbard called R2-45 "an enormously effective
process of exteriorization frowned upon by society at this
time." [...]

This is a lecture by L. Ron Hubbard given on the 20th
of November 1959. The title of this lecture is
Rationale of Create Series. This tape is 58 minutes
long. Reproduced by Golden Era Productions. ...

... [?] detachability of existence. And they couldn't
quite figure out how [?] to detach this existence [?]
this was one of the goals of Buddha. And he was supposed
to have sat under a
Bodhi tree and done a bunk, I mean
gotten exteriorized. When they sat down under a Bodhi
tree and found out he wasn't him. See... That made him a
Clear. Now, if that [?] easy, if it's easy to make Clear
as that, then we find he didn't research very far,
because I can make a Clear out of almost anybody under
these circumstances. And even the cops
or gangsters could make a Clear out of anybody over
these circumstances by taking a
Webley 38 or
Smith & Wesson, or
Colt or something like that and doing R2-45. That
exteriorizes almost anybody. Now, the way the
Lamas got
there was to sit and meditate. ...

R2-45: AN ENORMOUSLY EFFECTIVE PROCESS FOR EXTERIORIZATION
BUT ITS USE IS FROWNED UPON BY THIS SOCIETY AT THIS TIME

Were these cases of R2-45 tentatively
"applied"?

«When Joy opened the door, he unwrapped the "flowers"
— which were just a few twigs on top to hide a gun. He put
the gun at her head, cocked the trigger, and the gun was
either empty or misfired. He then began choking her, but
she managed to break away and start screaming so he fled.»
— Paulette
Cooper's Harassment Diary - Part 3: The Gun Incident

«[...] They told me that Hubbard ordered
them to shoot up Jack Horner, who lived in Los Angeles,
a suppressive person whom Hubbard had personally declared
some years earlier. Both men had hand guns and would travel
with them. They left ... and then returned some weeks later.
After their debrief they told me that Horner had indeed
been shot at multiple times, while he and his family were
in their home one evening. Fortunately, no one had been
hurt.»
— Affidavit of Hana Eltringham Whitfield (8 March 1994)

«[...] Unbeknownst to Hubbard, one of their goals was leaving Scientology and setting up a similar organization called the Institute of Mental Health. They set up headquarters in Johannesburg, and brought in a large number of Scientologists with them, naturally infuriating the other Scientologists. Kennedy died shortly thereafter in a shooting accident. "It is said he shot himself accidentally while cleaning his revolver" stated the Daily Mail on July 14, 1968, "but an open verdict was returned by the coroner."»
— The Scandal of Scientology / Chapter 10 The Suppressives (1971)